Idols in Japan are expected to have a clean image, etc etc, but simply having a relationship - and consummating the relationship, something many of us do every day- is normal, right?

Well, a magazine published photos, creating a huge scandal and within the group, the pressure must have snapped and made this once-beautiful woman shave her head and give this tearful apology.

I may love Japan but I HATE J-pop. I hate how controlling the production companies are of both the girls and the guys (the guys being represented by Johnny's) and how the media (which is often controlled by the production companies) makes such huge scandals about it.

Personally, I don't give a damn, and neither do many of my Japanese friends. If a girl wants to bang her bf, let her. Don't make such a big deal about it and drive a normal girl who has awesome talents to do something like this.

It's a free country, nobody is forcing her to shave her own head and put on a display of self-pity. The only thing she should be sorry for is participating in a culture that targets kids with adult themes..

Quoting TheCol (Reply 1):
It's a free country, nobody is forcing her to shave her own head and put on a display of self-pity.

It's a free country, but the power of the shame culture is heavy and so is the inflated perception of personal responsibility that comes with it. Japanese people who are unable to cope with this either leave the country entirely or kill themselves - not much grey area between.

People routinely off themselves for getting behind on credit cards and rent here - something that usually falls into the "sh*t happens" category in Europe and N. America.

If you need someone to blame / throw a rock in the air / you'll hit someone guilty

Quoting TheCol (Reply 6):Again, they choose to go down that road. There are other's that don't and live happy productive lives.

I understand the sentiment, but the belief that humans "choose" which cultural road to go down is as much determined by Western ideology as shaving one's head after having premarital sex is determined by Japanese culture. Just like you can't "choose" to believe whether people have a choice or not (you just do), they can't choose to share in Western ideas of a liberal society. Not to say that culture can't change, but the unquestioning belief in free will is simply a particular quirk of our time. Nice, but uncommon.

Samson was a biblical tough guy, but his dad Samsonite was even more of a hard case.